Apparently what I heard or read (?) was not accurate, according to the publisher's preface to the illustrated Benton book. It says he was awarded, in 1938, a "Fellowship in Book Illustration" by a committee of five top art critics." Says he was one of five "from America's greatest living painters." It further states that when he was asked "what book he would most like to illustrate," he responded: "Huckleberry Finn." Benton was born in Neosho MO, and said he had been reading "Huckleberry Finn at least once every year since the age of six." If anyone has added info re how much he was paid and any more about his fondness for the book or Twain, please share it? Ron Owens ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:03:10 -0500 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: "Kevin. Mac Donnell" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Thomas Hart Benton Thanks. You might discover details of payments from the Limited Editions Club who published the book. I do know he was paid $1,850 in 1956 to allow the use of his TS illustrations by the Theater Guild (I have the contract). Kevin Mac Donnell Austin TX 78730 ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:47:03 -0700 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Laura Cerruti <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Landmark Publication of Mark Twain's Autobiography MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed April 21, 2009 For Immediate Release http://ucpress.typepad.com/ucpresslog/2009/04/landmark-publication-of-mark-twains-autobiography-university-of-california-press-and-the-mark-twain-.html Contact: Laura Cerruti University of California Press, [log in to unmask] 510-643-9793 Landmark Publication of Mark Twain's Autobiography University of California Press and The Mark Twain Project to Celebrate Mark Twain Centennial Year with Publication of Mark Twain's Life in His Own Words BERKELEY, Calif. - April 21, 2009 - University of California Press and The Mark Twain Project are pleased to announce the landmark publication of Mark Twain's Autobiography. The book and companion website will be available in 2010 to coincide with the centennial year of Mark Twain's death. The autobiography will be the flagship publication in a year-long tribute to America's most beloved author. Over the centennial year, UC Press and The Mark Twain Project plan a series of Mark Twain publications: o This fall 2009, UC Press will publish Mark Twain's Book of Animals, edited by Shelley Fisher Fishkin, with authoritative texts established by The Mark Twain Project. The beautiful volume, illustrated with 30 new images by master engraver Barry Moser, will gather writings from the full span of Mark Twain's career to illuminate his special attachment to and regard for animals. o In spring 2010, UC Press will issue new editions of Twain's best known novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, that will feature some of the extraordinary materials related to the novels: original publishing contracts, Mark Twain's handwritten letters to his family, and programs from early book tours. o UC Press and The Mark Twain Project will release new material on Mark Twain Project Online (http://www.marktwainproject.org). The site, which provides access to more than 2,300 letters and documents, will feature new texts and functionality later this spring when the texts of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians are released. o The first of three volumes of Mark Twain's Autobiography will appear in trade print editions in fall of 2010, and will also be available on Mark Twain Project Online documented with full scholarly apparatus. "We are very proud of our longstanding and important publishing partnership with The Mark Twain Papers and Project. We're especially excited to make Mark Twain's Autobiography--a landmark publication in American letters--available to audiences worldwide," notes UC Press Director Lynne Withey. Although portions of Mark Twain's autobiography have been published, less than half of it has ever appeared in print much less in the way he intended. In the complete and authoritative edition, readers will find Mark Twain musing about his Missouri childhood, lamenting an embarrassing speech at the birthday dinner for John Greenleaf Whittier, and describing the villa near Florence that his family rented in 1904. Although many thought it was not possible, the editors of The Mark Twain Project are establishing a lucid text that is both fascinating to read and that remains true to the author's original idiosyncratic intent. These editors are, in fact, the first to have actually understood exactly how Mark Twain wanted his text to appear and what it should contain Bob Hirst, General Editor of the Mark Twain Papers & Project describes the effort that has gone into publication of Mark Twain's last masterpiece: "It was a daunting task simply to figure out which of the 2500 pages of manuscript belong in the final form and which do not, or even that there was a final form designed by the author. Those pages have been in the Mark Twain Papers since 1910, but have never been fully understood by any of their successive editors. We are fortunate that Mark Twain Project editors with nearly 40 years of experience were able to work on and solve this problem. The result is that no one, until now, has ever read or could read the Autobiography of Mark Twain. We are confident it will be an exhilarating experience for all Mark Twain's fans." Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910. He wrote many autobiographical pieces during his lifetime, but in 1906, he began the ambitious project of systematically recording his life for posterity. This project took up the remaining four years of his life. He always intended to speak from the grave; in fact, he included strict instructions for many of the pieces to appear no sooner than 100 years after his death. He writes: "To the Unborn Reader, In your day, a hundred years hence, this manuscript will have a distinct value; & not a small value but a large one. If it can be preserved ten centuries it will have a still larger value- a value augmented tenfold, in fact. For it will furnish an intimate inside view of our domestic life of to-day not to be found in naked & comprehensive detail outside of its pages." The great writer's prescient words have come true. Fascination with Mark Twain has not waned, and his autobiography stands to be one of the most anticipated and important publications of the twenty-first century. The Mark Twain Papers is housed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California at Berkeley. The papers comprise not only the world's largest collection of Mark Twain's manuscripts but also letters from his family and friends, facsimiles of manuscripts in other collections, photographs, first and early editions, scholarly works on his life and times, and ephemera. The Mark Twain Project is dedicated to the identification, verification, collection, preservation, understanding, and dissemination of the works of Mark Twain. Since 1962, the editors have been restoring Mark Twain's original texts, collecting and annotating them for comprehensive editions of all of his private papers and published works. The result: an ever-increasing set of meticulously researched, award-winning critical editions of Mark Twain's works and papers, all published by University of California Press. University of California Press (http://www.ucpress.edu), one of the most distinguished university presses in the United States, enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and by philanthropic contributions from individuals and institutions. -- Laura Cerruti Director of Digital Content Development University of California Press ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 21 Apr 2009 22:28:26 +0000 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: "Martin D. Zehr" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Thomas Hart Benton In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Benton, whose house and studio, preserved as they were at the time of his death, are only a few miles from where I'm sitting, also composed a few separate black-and-white Mississippi-themed illustrations, as did many of his students at the Kansas City Art Institute in '40s. It is sometimes difficult, without close examination, to tell which of these were done by his students, many who imitated his "undulating line" style. Martin Zehr Kansas City, Missouri ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:01:11 -0400 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Alex Effgen <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Regarding Clara and Nina In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" Hi All: I have read about the difficult relationship between Clara Clemens and Twain's editors following Paine. Given Clara died in 1962 and her daughter Nina died four years later does anyone have first or second hand accounts of dealing with either of them? Nina's poor life seems tragic, suffering from the weight of a fame unknown to her, and known far too well by Clara. Mr. Alex B. Effgen, M.A. Boston University ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:04:00 -0400 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: David Davis <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Regarding Clara and Nina In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Interesting question- to which I have no answer ;-) Paine would sometimes hide behind the skirts of "The Estate feels..."- he wrote something like that to De Voto. At the time he was writing, The Estate was Clara and no one else. The public record wrt Nina is very sparse I believe. ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:52:31 -0500 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Jerome Loving <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Landmark Publication of Mark Twain's Autobiography Comments: cc: Stan Holwitz <[log in to unmask]> In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Laura, That's nice but why not also mention my biography coming out from the Press at the same time, MARK TWAIN: THE ADVENTURES OF SAMUEL L. CLEMENS?! Jerry -- Jerome Loving Texas A&M University College Station, TX 77843 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:38:16 -0700 Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Michael Patrick Hearn <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Bantam Classic's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn--cover art In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Bantam commissioned this cover by an unknown artist. Looks like Sergio Martinez. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Adventures-of-Huckleberry-Finn/Mark-Twain/e/9780553210798 ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:32:10 -0700 Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Michael Patrick Hearn <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Bantam Classic's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn--cover art In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Winslow Homer NEVER illustrated HUCKLEBERRY FINN!!! ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:24:16 -0700 Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Michael Patrick Hearn <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Thomas Hart Benton and ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Originally published by The Limited Editions Club in 1942. The mural can be found here. http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Exhibit/5437/THBind.html He reworked it as a lithograph. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 13:59:56 -0400 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: David Davis <[log in to unmask]> Subject: FW: MT in magazines MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable [Via American Libraries (ALA) Some of these runs - on highly acidic pulp, etc. - are extremely rare. /DDD ] Mark Twain in magazines <http://link.ixs1.net/s/lt?id=3Dg8737308&si=3Dj162799749&pc=3Dq2092&ei=3D= 6350210 >=20 Steven Lomazow writes: "Having just acquired an extremely rare periodical that contains 12 early Mark Twain appearances, it is an excellent time to present a short treatise about the magazine appearances of America's foremost humorist. I believe that my collection now contains the best representation of Twain periodicals in private hands. Twain's first appearance was way back when he was 16, in Benjamin Shillaber's Carpet Bag in 1852. His original work was published in magazines 178 times in a few dozen different publications, some posthumously. Most notable is the earliest excerpt of Huckleberry Finn in December 1884 in The Century."... Magazine History: A Collector's Blog, Mar. 26 ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:20:21 -0500 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Heather Morgan <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Regarding Clara and Nina In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit All I have is a front page article in the Bridgeport Sunday Post, July 18, 1937 "Mark Twain's Only Grandchild Found at Westport" when Nina was in the early stages of her acting career. In the interview she spoke fondly of the grandfather she never knew, and told how she visited the new Stormfield whenever she could, and remembers the very old man (Mark Twain's secretary) who stuttered when he spoke. There are 4 pictures of her in the article, and 1 of Clara, when she lived nearby in Mt Kisco. I should love to have copies of any pictures of Nina, if anyone is willing to send them - just for the library files. Also, I am very anxious to obtain photographs of Mark Twain's arrival in Redding, and his early weeks in Stormfield. I know some exist, but where are they? Many thanks to you all. Heather Morgan. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:31:49 -0700 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Vic Fischer <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Regarding Clara and Nina In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dear Heather: There is a set of pictures of Nina dedicating the Mark Twain Zephyr on 25 October 1935 in Hannibal at the Hannibal Free Public Library site. Here's a link to one of them: http://digital.hannibal.lib.mo.us/mtz/z7022.htm Best wishes, Vic Fischer ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:07:45 -0400 Reply-To: wes britton <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: wes britton <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Regarding Clara and Nina MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset=iso-8859-1; reply-type=original Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit You might check the Hartford Mark Twain House. If memory serves, they have an old "home movie" showing Nina graduating from college with her mother around. That might be at Elmira, now that I think about it. It has been years since I saw it. You might look at obits for Nina. If memory serves, there were some with information you don't normally find about her in the reference books. Again, it's been years, so don't quote me. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:14:34 -0400 Reply-To: [log in to unmask] Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Regarding Clara and Nina MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Thank you Vic! I quickly Photoshopped Sam and Nina side-by-side and posted at my blog: http://twainproject.blogspot.com/ She has his nose...poor girl. ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 09:21:02 -0400 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Jules Austin Hojnowski <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Regarding Clara and Nina In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain;charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit hello, Brigham Young university in Utah have almost all of Nina's original diaries. I have copies of some of the pages. I read through most of them. Her writings are "eye openers'! Jules ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 24 Apr 2009 10:52:59 -0400 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Alex Effgen <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Regarding Clara and Nina In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" ; format="flowed" Wow, this is amazing. How did BYU come up with her diaries? If she died without any heirs, where did the rest of her belongings reside? I thought to contact Barnard, Nina's alma mater, and spoke to their archive and their registrar. While certain material is sealed (grades) I'm hoping to swing down there in May to view the 1933 yearbook and see her list of classes. Why not. -Alex ========================================================================= Date: Sat, 25 Apr 2009 13:32:16 -0400 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Steve Courtney <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: Regarding Clara and Nina In-Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Greetings, Heather -- In fact, the home movie of Nina et al that Wes Britton mentioned is currently playing in the new "Reader's Room" set up in the Mark Twain House & Museum, a comfortable living room full of Mark Twain's works, toys and a TV (where the Nina film plays along with the famous Stormfield film and some oddball documentaries of the 1950s and 1960s.) For information, I'd recommend speaking to Patti Philippon, Chief Curator here ([log in to unmask] or 860-247-0998, Ext. 222). As I mentioned, I thought I'd fill some idle hours leading tourists around the MT House and now have become part of the House & Museum's crack -- or cracked -- publicity staff. All the best, Steve Steve Courtney Publicist The Mark Twain House & Museum 351 Farmington Avenue Hartford, Connecticut 06105 860-247-0998 [log in to unmask] ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:43:23 -0700 Reply-To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> Sender: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> From: Arianne <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Washington Post Review MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Interesting review of the new book with formerly unpublished Mark Twain pieces, (two of which, however, have appeared in magazines already). A review, by Michael Dirda, of the new book: "Who is Mark Twain?" http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/29/AR2009042903749.html?sub=AR -- Arianne Laidlaw